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Microsoft knows that Minecraft can get kids into programming, and it's banking on that strategy again this year. It just teamed up with Code.org to introduce the Minecraft Hour of Code Designer, a tutorial that teaches young newcomers (6 years old an...

The full version of Minecraft: Education Edition is finally arriving on November 1, following an extended testing and free trial period that began this summer. The version of Minecraft aimed at educators and schools came out of Microsoft’s acquisition of learning game MinecraftEdu earlier this year, which built upon Minecraft to give teachers tools to build lessons around STEM, art,… Read More

Apple has temporarily stopped offering the iOS 9.3 update for older devices like the iPad Air and earlier and the iPhone 5s and earlier due to installation issues some users have experienced. On older devices, iOS 9.3 requires users to input the Apple ID and password originally used to set up the device, which can lead to the device becoming stuck at the Activation Lock screen if the original account information can't be recalled.

In a statement given to iMore, Apple says it is working on a fix and plans to issue a new version of iOS 9.3 in the next few days. Customers with an affected device who attempt to download iOS 9.3 during this time will not be able to install the update as Apple has stopped signing it.

Updating some iOS devices (iPhone 5s and earlier and iPad Air and earlier) to iOS 9.3 can require entering the Apple ID and password used to set up the device in order to complete the software update," an Apple spokesperson told iMore. "In some cases, if customers do not recall their password, their device will remain in an inactivated state until they can recover or reset their password. For these older devices, we have temporarily pulled back the update and will release an updated version of iOS 9.3 in the next few days that does not require this step."

For customers who have already installed iOS 9.3 and have gotten stuck at the Activation Lock, Apple has published a support document with steps on how to solve the issue. Apple recommends removing Activation Lock via iCloud or attempting to enter an Apple ID or password through iTunes.

Update: Apple has released a new build of iOS 9.3 for the iPad 2 and may be planning to roll out updates for additional devices. Apple has not yet resumed signing iOS 9.3 for affected devices.

When we brought back Flickr Pro last year, we wanted to reaffirm our commitment to the members of the Flickr community who wanted to know more about how people were sharing and engaging with their photos. Today, we are making a few changes to Flickr Pro and offering a discount for new Flickr Pro members.

The biggest change is that we are making the desktop Auto-Uploadr a Flickr Pro-only feature, giving Pro members exclusive access to the tool. This feature lets you effortlessly upload all of your photos from wherever they are being stored, while making them accessible from any device. If you are already a Pro member, you won’t see any changes to your existing subscription.

For any members with free accounts, you can continue enjoying the Auto-Uploadr by upgrading to Flickr Pro in the next 14 days. In order to make this transition easier, we’re offering a 30% discount on the annual Flickr Pro membership.

With a new year-long subscription to Flickr Pro, you will now receive:

Access to the Flickr Uploadr desktop tool.

A 20% discount on an Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan.

Free standard U.S. shipping on Flickr merchandise or 50% off international shipping ($25 minimum purchase).

An ad-free experience both on your own photos and when viewing everyone else’s photos

A Pro badge highlighted on your account.

Access to our robust stats page, including improved data navigation and insights into your most popular photos.

Anyone who’s ever been on a road trip know that pit stops are essential: you may need a bathroom break, or emergency beef jerky and a tuna sandwich in a triangular plastic wedge. For anyone who’s ever found themselves getting lost while trying to find a gas station or restaurant on the road, you’ll likely be glad to hear that you can now add those pit stops to your route in Google Maps on iOS devices.

Android users have had access to the feature since its launch last October, but now any iOS user in the world where Google Maps offers navigation — more than 100 countries — will be able to add a detour to their mapped out journey, the company says, instead of having to navigate to it in a separate search, and then continue their journey after.

While in Navigation mode, users can tap the magnifying glass at the top right corner of the screen to see a menu of options for places you might need to stop at, like gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. with ratings for each result and the estimated amount of time the detour will add to your trip, so you can choose the best.

If you know you want to stop at a specific spot, say, Mars Cheese Castle, you can also search for specific spots and add them to your route as well.

I don't use my calc and algebra in normal life, but the way of thinking they taught me has helped shape the way I think and work as a supervisor and technician

In his new book The Math Myth: And Other STEM Delusions, political scientist Andrew Hacker proposes replacing algebra II and calculus in the high school and college curriculum with a practical course in statistics for citizenship (more on that later). Only mathematicians and some engineers actually use advanced math in their day-to-day work, Hacker argues—even the doctors, accountants, and coders of the future shouldn’t have to master abstract math that they’ll never need.

The one-off use the FBI promised for the iPhone it wants Apple to help hack already looks to be falling apart because the Department of Justice is working to get similar orders for about 12 more cases. Like the iPhone in the San Bernardino shooting, the DOJ is using the All Writs Act in an effort to force Apple to bypass the passcode security features built into iOS.

So... have you heard the story about how a magistrate judge in California has ordered Apple to help the FBI disable encryption on the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters? You may have because it's showing up everywhere. Here's NBC News reporting on it:

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Apple to give investigators access to encrypted data on the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, assistance the computer giant "declined to provide voluntarily," according to court papers.

In a 40-page filing, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles argued that it needed Apple to help it find the password and access "relevant, critical … data" on the locked cellphone of Syed Farook, who with his wife Tashfeen Malik murdered 14 people in San Bernardino, California on December 2.

And you'd be forgiven for believing that the court has now ordered Apple to do the impossible. After all, for well over a year, the DOJ has been arguing that the All Writs Act of 1789 can be used to force Apple to help unlock encrypted phones. And that's an argument it has continued to make in multiple cases.

Many people are now mocking this ruling, pointing out that with end-to-end encryption it's actually impossible for Apple to do very much to help the FBI, which makes the order seem ridiculous. But that's because much of the reporting on this story appears to be wrong. Ellen Nakashima, at the Washington Post, has a more detailed report that notes that Apple is actually required to do something a little different:

The order does not ask Apple to break the phone’s encryption, but rather to disable the feature that wipes the data on the phone after 10 incorrect tries at entering a password. That way, the government can try to crack the password using “brute force” — attempting tens of millions of combinations without risking the deletion of the data.

The order, signed by a magistrate judge in Los Angeles, comes a week after FBI Director James B. Comey told Congress that the bureau has not been able to open one of the killers’ phones. “It has been two months now, and we are still working on it,” he said.

In other words, the order does not tell Apple to crack the encryption when Apple does not have the key. Rather, it is asking Apple to turn off a specific feature so that the FBI can try to brute force the key — and we can still argue over whether or not it's appropriate to force Apple to disable a key feature that is designed to protect someone's privacy. It also raises questions about whether or not Apple can just turn off that feature or if it will have to do development work to obey the court's order. In fact, the same report notes that there is no way for Apple to actually do this:

According to industry officials, Apple cannot unilaterally dismantle or override the 10-tries-and-wipe feature. Only the user or person who controls the phone’s settings can do so. The company could theoretically write new software to bypass the feature, but likely would see that as a “backdoor” or a weakening of device security and would resist it, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

So you could argue that this is effectively the same thing as asking Apple to break the encryption, since it (apparently) has no direct access to turning off that feature. However, the specifics do matter -- and most of the kneejerk responses to the order (and the reporting on it) are suggesting something very different than what the court order seems to say.

I think it's still perfectly reasonable to argue that this order is highly problematic, and not legally sound. However, it is still quite different than what most are claiming. It also seems like something that could be quite dangerous. Apple is being pressured to write code that undermines an important security feature, and will probably have little time to debug or test it overall, meaning that this feature it is being ordered to build will almost certainly put more users at risk.

Update: Okay, we've got the full order and it is, indeed, troubling. Here's the key part:

Apple's reasonable technical assistance shall accomplish the following three important functions: (1) it will bypass or disable the auto-erase function whether or not it has been enabled; (2) it will enable the FBI to submit passcodes to the SUBJECT DEVICE for testing electronically via the physical device port, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or other protocol available on the SUBJECT DEVICE and (3) it will ensure that when the FBI submits passcodes to the SUBJECT DEVICE, software running on the device will not purposefully introduce any additional delay between passcode attempts beyond what is incurred by Apple hardware.

Apple's reasonable technical assistance may include, but is not limited to: providing the FBI with a signed iPhone Software file, recovery bundle, or other Software Image File ("SIF") that can be loaded onto the SUBJECT DEVICE. The SIF will load and run from Random Access Memory and will not modify the iOS on the actual phone, the user data partition or system partition on the device's flash memory. The SIF will be coded by Apple with a unique identifier of the phone so that the SIF would only load and execute on the SUBJECT DEVICE. The SIF will be loaded via Device Firmware Upgrade ("DFU") mode, recovery mode, or other applicable mode available to the FBI. Once active on the SUBJECT DEVICE, the SIF will accomplish the three functions specified in paragraph 2. The SIF will be loaded on the SUBJECT DEVICE at either a government facility, or alternatively, at an Apple facility; if the latter, Apple shall provide the government with remote access to the SUBJECT DEVICE through a computer allowing the government to conduct passcode recovery analysis.

If Apple determines that it can achieve the three functions stated above in paragraph 2, as well as the functionality set forth in paragraph 3, using an alternate technological means from that recommended by the government, and the government concurs, Apple may comply with this Order in that way.

The order also sets out that:

To the extent that Apple believes that compliance with this Order would be unreasonably burdensome, it may make an application to this Court for relief within five business days of receipt of the Order.

Lego and Disney are teaming up for a Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game, out this summer. The trailer for it is possibly more fun than the movie was and is well worth watching if you enjoyed The Lego Movie.

Apple is working with more than 100 news publishers to put content in the News app for iOS, but there’s a slight hiccup: Neither Apple nor the publishers know how many people are reading News.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has been underestimating the number of News readers it reports to publishers, though the company didn’t say how or why the problem happened, or when it might be fixed.

The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Washington Post, and other major news publications can’t be happy about the glitch, which means they’ve been giving their advertisers wrong information. Publishers can sell their own ads in the app and reap 100 percent of the revenues, or they can let Apple sell ads on their behalf and keep 70 percent. But when publishers don’t have an accurate view of how big their audience is, that leads to lower ad rates and is generally bad for business.

Version 4.4 of WordPress, named “Clifford” in honor of jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown, is available for download or update in your WordPress dashboard. New features in 4.4 make your site more connected and responsive. Clifford also introduces a new default theme, Twenty Sixteen.

Introducing Twenty Sixteen

Our newest default theme, Twenty Sixteen, is a modern take on a classic blog design.

Twenty Sixteen was built to look great on any device. A fluid grid design, flexible header, fun color schemes, and more, will all make your content shine.

Responsive Images

WordPress now takes a smarter approach to displaying appropriate image sizes on any device, ensuring a perfect fit every time. You don’t need to do anything to your theme, it just works.

Embed Everything

Now you can embed your posts on other WordPress sites. Simply drop a post URL into the editor and see an instant embed preview, complete with the title, excerpt, and featured image if you’ve set one. We’ll even include your site icon and links for comments and sharing.

In addition to post embeds, WordPress 4.4 also adds support for five new oEmbed providers: Cloudup, Reddit Comments, ReverbNation, Speaker Deck, and VideoPress.

Under the Hood

REST API infrastructure

Infrastructure for the REST API has been integrated into core, marking a new era in developing with WordPress. The REST API gives developers an easy way to build and extend RESTful APIs on top of WordPress.

Infrastructure is the first part of a multi-stage rollout for the REST API. Inclusion of core endpoints is targeted for an upcoming release. To get a sneak peek of the core endpoints, and for more information on extending the REST API, check out the official WordPress REST API plugin.

Term meta

Comment query improvements

Comment queries now have cache handling to improve performance. New arguments in WP_Comment_Query make crafting robust comment queries simpler.

Term, comment, and network objects

New WP_Term, WP_Comment, and WP_Network objects make interacting with terms, comments, and networks more predictable and intuitive in code.

The Team

This release was led by Scott Taylor, with the help of these fine individuals. There are 471 contributors with props in this release (by far the most ever!). Pull up some Clifford Brown on your music service of choice, and check out some of their profiles:

JavaScript for Kids is for kids, but also for adults who don't know anything about coding and want to learn. The author, Nick Morgan, is a front-end programmer at Twitter, and he does a great job of clearly presenting programming concepts like data types, control structures, functions strings, arrays, loops. Nothing is dumbed down. You'll also learn jQuery to make interactive web pages, and Canvas to create graphics. Along the way you'll write several computer games.

Deb Perelman, the writer behind the wildly popular food blog Smitten Kitchen, recently published her 1,000th recipe. She’s also written a cookbook that spent weeks on the New York Times best-seller list in 2012 and is still No. 1 on Amazon in the “gourmet cooking” category. Perelman’s success is easy to understand: She’s a stunning photographer, her writing is chatty and self-deprecating, and her taste is impeccable. (If Perelman recommends a recipe, you know it’s going to be good.) Perelman’s image is both relatable and aspirational—she is an everywoman who, by force of will, has transformed her small New York City kitchen into a stage for irresistible delicacies.

Back in May, we reported that Amazon was dipping its toes into yet another marketplace venture, this one centered on handcrafted goods. At the time, the e-commerce behemoth was prepping for a showdown with the top site in the craft world, Etsy, by attempting to lure away its vendors. Fast-forward four months, and the launch of “Handmade at Amazon” is upon us.

The new marketplace, which features items crafted and sold directly from artisans, was designed to provide customers and artisans a tailored store filled with unique, one-of-a-kind handcrafted products, Amazon said in an announcement Thursday.

All of the 80,000 items – ranging from jewelry, kitchen supplies to furniture and stationary – currently for sale through roughly 5,000 vendors on the site are required to be “factory-free” and made by hand.

“We have designed a custom shopping experience for customers looking for handmade items by bringing together many of the best artisans in the world, and they’re adding thousands of items daily,” Peter Faricy, VP for Amazon Marketplace, said in a statement. “Knowing an item has a unique story behind it creates a personal experience that customers have told us makes owning handmade items special.”

While shopping on Handmade, customers will find small location icons on listings, identifying where the artisan is based and linking to their profile.

It’s unclear how many of the vendors featuring products on Amazon’s site came from Etsy or continue to sell on that site, as well.

When Amazon began exploring its foray into handcrafted goods, the company sent many Etsy sellers invitations to sign up for the forthcoming marketplace and asked them to participate in a survey regarding the types of products they specialize in.

“We’re offering artisans like you a first peek at Handmade, a new marketplace for handcrafted goods,” the Amazon email stated.

At the time, several vendors said their interests were piqued after receiving the email, but they remained skeptical on whether or not they could produce personalized and made-on-demand products that would fit Amazon’s shipping guidelines.

Hold on to your 1.21 gigawatts. Amazon is offering the Back to the Future trilogy for free to Prime members for the whole month of October.
This year marks the 30th anniversary for BTTF. Super fans may recall October 21, 2015, is also the date Marty McFly heads into the future to see what can be done about his kids. Read More

Bjorn Jonsson used the photos taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to make an animation of the probe's flyby of Pluto.

The time covered is 09:35 to 13:35 (closest approach occurred near 11:50). Pluto's atmosphere is included and should be fairly realistic from about 10 seconds into the animation and to the end. Earlier it is largely just guesswork that can be improved in the future once all data has been downlinked from the spacecraft. Light from Pluto's satellite Charon illuminates Pluto's night side but is exaggerated here, in reality it would be only barely visible or not visible at all.

Fantastic...and Pluto's moons flying about in the background is the cherry on the top. (via @BadAstronomer)

There’s been a lot of debate over whether the United States should treat Internet service as a utility. But there’s no question that Internet service is already a utility in Sandy, Oregon, a city of about 10,000 residents, where the government has been offering broadband for more than a decade.

“SandyNet” launched nearly 15 years ago with DSL and wireless service, and this summer it's putting the final touches on a citywide upgrade to fiber. The upgrade was paid for with a $7.5 million revenue bond, which will be repaid by system revenues. Despite not being subsidized by taxpayer dollars, prices are still low: $40 a month for symmetrical 100Mbps service or $60 a month for 1Gbps. There are no contracts or data caps.

“Part of the culture of SandyNet is we view our citizens as owners of the utility,” City IT Director and SandyNet GM Joe Knapp told Ars in a phone interview. “We've always run the utility on a break-even basis. Any profits we do have go back into capital improvements and equipment upgrades and things like that.”

What if the media covered and celebrated public school teachers the way it obsesses over professional athletes? That’s the premise of the latest sketch from Key & Peele, which imagines TeachingCenter, a SportsCenter for education superstars that features classroom highlights and news of million-dollar contracts.

Make sure to keep watching for the BMW ad starring P.S. 431’s star English teacher Ruby Ruhf. “Meet the New Teacher’s Pet.”

SpaceX, the pioneering company founded by Elon Musk, has recently started a Flickr account and uploaded a number of amazing photos of their launches, as well as product views and behind the scenes images. What’s more, they’ve licensed their images under a Creative Commons license that enables free, noncommercial re-use with attribution.

In speaking with a media representative for the company, he told Flickr that SpaceX has licensed the images for reuse by the public and they explicitly grant the media the rights to use the images.

We’d highly encourage checking out their account if you’re interested in space exploration. The launch images are superb and some of the technical photos give you a great view of what has gone into building the first privately-funded spacecraft in history.

Given their plans to launch the first Dragon 9 with human crew aboard in 2016, we expect SpaceX to be in the news often. Follow their photostream and be sure to use and engage with their photos as they continue to make space exploration history.

This collection of political cartoons depict the FCC's recent ruling on net neutrality as Big Government throttling the free internet, except that every caption has been replaced with "the cartoonist has no idea how net neutrality works". Here's one example followed by the unadulterated cartoon:

The LEGO Elves sets are out in the wild! I spotted some this evening at Toys R Us, and picked up a few. Happy birthday to me.

The first set up for review is 41701 Aira’s Creative Workshop. This set is $9.99 and has 98 pieces. It will be available on the LEGO Shop online on March 1.

Let’s get started!

First thing’s first: I like the Friend’s line, and am a big fan of the Disney Princess sets. So the fact that the Elves theme is part of the Friend’s line doesn’t bother me a bit.

This is a small set. The parts are in three separate baggies, and the pieces are mostly brown, tan, and purple. When it comes to Aira–I like her. The design on her torso is nice, and the elvish filagree is nice. My main issue with her is that the printing of the ears on her hairpiece does not match the color of her flesh. The hair has a nice effect of being mostly purple and fading to white tips.

The little bird’s pretty cute, too.

I am happy to report that the tiles in this set are all printed! You’ve got a ruler, the map, the scroll, and the wing design. The printing is all crisp.

The first model in the build is a desk, with ink, scissors, and a ruler. I found it to be rather clever; instead of sticking with the molded drawers, this set builds the drawer from scratch. I like that element of design.

The second piece is a glorified bird stand with a place for an envelope and a cookie. It looks nice.

The third piece is a steampunk-esque glider that Aira holds on to. There appears to be a pin to wind up the gold wings, then off she goes.

It’s a simple set overall, with decent parts. At $10, you could really take it or leave it. I enjoyed it as a nice little build. I’d say go ahead and pick one up.